Clemson Voted Preseason ACC Champs, Watson Player of the Year

As expected, for the second year in a row, the ACC media predicted Clemson would win the conference title and Deshaun Watson would be Player of the Year.

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GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – Clemson is the preseason favorite to repeat as Atlantic Coast Conference football champion, according to a poll of 191 media members in attendance at last week’s 2016 ACC Football Kickoff in Charlotte.

The Tigers, who posted a 14-1 overall record last season and reached the College Football Playoff national title game, are also picked to again capture the Atlantic Division, while North Carolina is favored to repeat as the Coastal Division winner.

Clemson junior quarterback Deshaun Watson was the overwhelming choice to repeat as ACC Player of the Year after his record-setting 2015 campaign. Watson was also the media’s preseason selection as conference player of the year last season.

The Tigers were picked the likely 2016 ACC champions on 144 ballots, followed by Florida State with 39 votes and North Carolina with seven. One voter chose Louisville.

In the Atlantic Division preseason voting, Clemson received 148 first-place votes and finished with 1,293 total points. Florida State received 42 first-place votes and placed second with 1,176 points, while Louisville had one first-place vote and was third in the voting with 961 points.

NC State (704 total points) was tabbed for a fourth-place Atlantic Division finish, followed by Boston College (441), Syracuse (426) and Wake Forest (347).

North Carolina was selected the likely Coastal winner by 121 voters and finished with 1,238 total points, followed by Miami with 50 first-place votes and 1,108 points. Pitt received 14 first-place votes and was third in the balloting with 859 points.

Virginia Tech (three first-place votes) placed fourth with 697 points, followed by Duke (597), Georgia Tech (588) and Virginia (261). Two voters chose Duke to claim the Coastal Division, while one gave Georgia Tech the nod.

If the overall prediction of the voters proves correct, the 2016 ACC Dr Pepper Football Championship on December 3 at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium will be a rematch of last year’s event. Clemson defeated North Carolina 45-37 for the 2015 ACC title after both teams posted 8-0 records in conference play during the regular season.

Watson will lead a Clemson offense that also returns talented running back Wayne Gallman, leading receiver Artavis Scott, and steady offensive linemen Jay Guillermo, Mitch Hyatt and Tyrone Crowder. Linebacker Ben Boulware leads a group of five returning defensive starters. The Tigers, who have won at least 10 games each of the past five seasons, will seek their 16th ACC championship in 2016.

Watson led the preseason ACC Player of the Year balloting with 164 votes, followed by Florida State running back Dalvin Cook with 18. North Carolina running back Elijah Hood received four votes, while Miami quarterback Brad Kaaya and Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson picked up two votes apiece. Duke cornerback/return specialist DeVon Edwards received one vote.

Watson captured both the Davey O’Brien and Manning Awards as the nation’s top quarterback in 2015 after throwing for 4,104 yards and 35 touchdowns while rushing for 1,105 yards and 12 more TDs. The Gainesville, Georgia, native became the first player in FBS history to amass 4,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in a single season.

The ACC Male Athlete of the Year and the MVP of both the Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship Game and the Capital One Orange Bowl, Watson ranked fifth nationally in pass completion percentage (67.8) and was voted the ACC Offensive Back of the Week four times in 2015. Watson is bidding to become the first student-athlete to be named ACC Football Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons since Florida State’s Charlie Ward in 1992-93.